to give happiness to our guests and to reach these kind of things.
Helene Darroze, who received three stars for her eponymous restaurant at The Connaught, meaning she currently holds 8 stars across three restaurants, said: "They will be so honoured and so happy.
"If I can say also, I'm thinking of all the women in the kitchen and I just want to let them know, everything is possible, live your passion as you are and be positive - everything can happen."
Finally, three stars were awarded to Clare Smyth, who has long been fingered as deserving of the highest accolade in the book.
"Thank you so much, it's incredible."
Asked what they did to take it to the next level, she said: "We don't know. We work hard every day to be better every day, we work hard to be better every day than the last."
"Obviously it's my dream to achieve this level but you could never imagine it would happen."
"It's incredible."
Her message to any female chefs out there, "there's nothing that is unachieveable out there now."
"Core opened three years ago, it was my passion since I was sixteen years old. It was my restaurant that I own and I just want for the future that all chefs, male or female get to own their own restaurant."
Thanking the growers and suppliers and her "phenomenal" team, she said: "This is some of their work, it's everybody's work."
Alain Ducasse sent his congratulations to both chefs, who once trained alongside him, saying his was very proud and very happy.
